Ironing board and convertible mounting therefor



Nov 1, 1949 A. P. LANTZ 2,486,606

IRONING BOARD AND CONVERTIBLE MOUNTING THEREFQR Filed April 18, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet l FIGL Nov 1, 1949.

Filed April 18, 1945 A. P. LANTZ IRONING BOARD AND CONVERTIBLE MOUNTING THEREFOR 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ALPHA PERRY LANTZ.

Patentecl Nov. 1 1949 UNITED STATES TNT OFFICE IRONING BOARD AND CONVERTIBLE MOUNTING THEREFOR 9 Claims.

This invention relates to an ironing board and has for its primary object the provision of a structure enabling the board to be mounted on supporting means of varying character as, for example, from a wall fixture, or from articles of furniture such as a desk or the like.

It has been suggested, in my applications Serial No. 585,435, filed March 29, 1945, and Serial No. 525,565, filed March 8, 1944, how an ironing board may be advantageously mounted in a strong or reinforcing manner to be swung from an enclosed position in a cabinet. or casing to an exposed or ironing position; or to support a detached or independent board as a temporary appurtenance to a dresser or desk drawer or the like.

With these special uses and devices in mind, it has been found expedient or useful on occasions to have the ironing board relatively permanently mounted adjacent to a wall, as in a compartment therein or adjacent thereto, but capable of being detached or separated from its normal mounting so that the board is available for practical service elsewhere, that is, in any preferred location where suitable supporting means are found, as in bed rooms or apartments.

To the ends stated, the invention has for its essential characteristic attaching means adapted to enable either of the uses referred to, the same being adapted to be easily and efficiently operated to conform to the conditions confronting a particular service.

The invention further has for an object the provision of improved means for assisting in adjusting and securing the board, and its attaching means, to accommodate cooperative members or parts of furniture to which the ironing board, as a detached or separate implement, may be affixed.

With the foregoing objects in view, the preferred embodiment of the invention, possessing the desirable characteristics stated, is illustrated in the accompanying drawings forming part hereof, the structure and arrangement of which will be more readily understood from the detailed description hereinafter.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the ironing board hingedly mounted on the framework of a wall fixture or cabinet, the latter being shown in section.

Figure 2 is a bottom view of the board mounted as in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is an inner or rear end view of the structure as shown in Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a transverse sectional view as on the line 4-4 of Figure 1, looking towards the rear or inner end of the ironing board.

Figure 5 is a horizontal sectional view through a portion of an article of furniture and the drawer thereof in connection with which the ironing board is mounted, the latter being shown in side or edge elevation.

,Figure 6 is a fragmentary bottom view of the outer end of the board as illustrated in Figure 5.

Figure 7 is a fragmentary transverse sectional view on the line of Figure 6 looking to the right or in the direction of the arrow.

Figure 8 is a detail bottom View illustrating a somewhat modified form of latching device, as compared to the form shown in the other figures.

Figure 9 is a detail sectional view of a detachable buffer on the bottom of the board to protect the surface of the furniture on which the board rests from being scratched or marred.

Figure 10 is a side view of the modified form of latch device shown in Figure 8.

Referring more specifically to the drawings, wherein like reference characters refer to the same parts in the several views, A represent the side walls of a wall cabinet or casing, provided with any convenient or suitable type of door B to close and confine the ironing board within the chamber C thereof, the end walls being connected together by a strong beam or cross piece D, at the rear thereof, and further connected by a somewhat similar cross piece or beam E at the front thereof, the front beam E occupying a horizontal plane somewhat below the rear beam D, or with the bottom surface of the beam D and top surface of the beam E spaced apart a distance equal to the thickness of the ironing board F, the rear edge of which is adapted to pass through the intervening space and abut at the top surface of the extreme end of the board with the under surface of the beam D and somewhat forwardly with the under surface of the ironing board engaging with the upper surface of the beam E. The ironing board is hinged, as at G, in any convenient fashion enabling relative permanent mounting of the board at the rear upper edge portion of the beam E, but with a capability of detachment when the ironing board is to be detached from the cabinet and used elsewhere. For this purpose the ironing board and correlated beam E are connected by means of correlated ears or hinge members H on the beam and I on the board, through which longitudinally detachable pivot pins J and K are introduced, said pins being adapted to be sufiiciently withdrawn by longitudinal movement thereof away from hold- 3 ing engagement with said ears by a pull on the handles or offset end extensions (Fig. 3), thereof as will be obvious. The upper surface of the beam E is slightly recessed and lined by a sheet metal facing M to present a durable bearing surface on which the adjusting means, projecting from the bottom surface of the ironing board may rest,

which adjusting means will be further described but for the moment can be considered as longitudinally reinforcing braces generally indicated at N, extending along the underface of the board to any desirable extent for that purpose.

The reinforcing members N, just referred to, are in the form of metal guideways having base portions 0, screwed or otherwise secured flat against the under surface of the board and opposite downwardly formed or bent flanges P having inturned portions Q, forming runways in which elongated shanks R, of upwardly directed hook-like ends S are normally free to slide backand-forth. It is preferable that a pair of these shanked hook members be provided to eliminate any tendency, of the board to shift or give edgewise, and to enable the hooks to be simultaneously adjusted with reference to their guides, and kept in alignment, the hooks are rigidly connected together transversely by a cross bar T.

The special utility of the hooks is found in connection with the mounting of the ironing board, apart from the cabinet or its framework as, for example, on a desk or dresser drawer when the latter is pulled out so that the forward end of the drawer will underlie the protruding major portion of the board and support the same, the hooks being adjusted in a direction rearwardly from the end of the board to engage behind the bridge piece or equivalent member found over the top of the drawer, as illustrated at U, Figure 5. These bridge pieces or top cross pieces in furniture are of various widths and the reason for the adjustment of the hooks is to provide different spacing between the hooks and the end of the ironing board to accommodate the width of the bridge piece or member, as Will be readily appreciated.

To afford a means for easily and effectively adjusting the hooks to locate them appropriately from the end of the ironing board, the shanks of the hooks are connected together by a U-shaped handle V, the ends of which are secured to the shanks of the hooks, with the intermediate or handle portions spanning the space between the two shanks and having horizontal end portions W arranged to engage stops or keepers X struck downwardly from the metal of the guide flanges for the shanks. These stops or keepers may be straight outstanding lugs, as illustrated at X in the first series of figures of the drawings or they may be as illustrated in Figures 8 and 10 wherein the keepers Y are shown as hook-like projections formed integral with the inturned portions Q of the reinforcing members N. These keepers Y are engaged by the latch member V carried by the hook shanks R, the latch member being held in operative position by the spring Z.

It is desired that the means for adjusting the hooks through the shifting of the shanks, as just pointed out, be provided with a spring or springs Z adapted to hold the intermediate or handle portion fiat against the bottom of the board, but it is optional whether such a spring means be utilized or whether one or two springs be employed. Also, it may be necessary on occasions determined by the spacing of the hooks, and shanks and guideways, that the handle and latching means be capable of adjustment to fit the parts with which they are operatively associated and to that end the adjacent inner ends of the handle portions W are connected by a central sleeve V in which said ends may be slid in adjusting the length of the handle in keeping with the spacing of the series of keepers when installed.

At times it may be found desirable to have a means to protect against the marring of the finish of the edge of the drawer, when the ironing board is rested thereon, and to that end I provide detachable rubber buffer elements C, secured adjacent to the guideways for the hook shanks R and underlying said guideways, as shown in Figures 2 and 9, the same having pins C2 to enable attachment to the board.

To relieve the guides N of undue strain at the inner end of the board, the flanges P-Q thereof are eliminated at the end of the board and stirrups D are inserted and secured in the kerfed end of the board, as at D2, and have their bottom portions D3 closely underlying the shanks R, of the hooks S, so that the shanks may be slid backand-forth in said stirrups and be supported therefrom.

I claim:

,1. An ironing board of the character described, having hook-like parts projected beyond one end thereof having a face which is opposite to and in a plane generally parallel with the end of the board to engage a support between the end wall of the board and said hook-like parts, means for adjusting the same including flat shank portions and separate guides therefor on the under face of the board, and means for retaining the hook-like parts in adjusted position, comprising a series of keepers on the bottom of the board, and latching means carried by the shank portions and oper able from beneath the board adapted to cooperate with said keepers whereby the operating face of the board remains unobstructed.

2. An ironing board of the character described, having hook-like parts projected beyond one end thereof having a face which is opposite to and in a plane generally parallel with the end of the board to engage a support between the end wall of the board and said hook-like parts, means for adjusting the same including shank portions and separate guides therefor on the under face of the board, and means for retaining the hook-like parts in adjusted position, comprising a series of keepers on the bottom of the board, and latching means carried by the shank portions and operable from beneath the board adapted to cooperate with said keepers whereby the operating face of the board remains unobstructed, the latching means having an operating handle and a spring instrumentality for normally holding the handle in a flat or non-projecting position, the operating handle projecting laterally beyond said spring instrumentality.

.3. An ironing board of the character described, having hook-like parts projected beyond one end thereof having a face which is opposite to and in a plane generally parallel with the end of the board to engage a support between the end wall of the board and said hook-like parts, means for adjusting the same including shank portions and separate guides therefor on the under face of the board, and means for retaining the hook-like parts in adjusted position, comprising a series of keepers on the bottom of the board and opening downwardly, and latching means carried by the shank portions and operable from beneath the board adapted to cooperate with said keepers whereby the operating face of the board remains unobstructed, the keepers being depending lugs or projections on the guides for the shanks of the hook-like parts.

4. An ironing board of the character described, having hook-like parts projected from one end thereof having a face which is opposite to and in a plane generally parallel with the end of the board to engage a support between the end wall of the board and said hook-like parts, means for adjusting the same including separate shank portions and separate guides therefor on the under face of the board, and means for retaining the hook-like parts in adjusted position, comprising a series of keepers on the bottom of the board and opening downwardly therefrom, and latching means carried by the shank portions and operable from beneath the board adapted to cooperate with said keepers whereby the operating face of the board remains unobstructed, the keepers being depending hook-like lugs or projections on the guides for the shanks of the hook-like parts, and said latching means comprising a rod arranged transversely of the board to engage aligned keepers.

5. An ironing board of the character described,

having hook-like parts projected from one end thereof having a face which is opposite to and in a plane generally parallel with the end of the board to engage a support between the end wall of the board and the said hook-like parts, means for adjusting the same including shank portions and separate guides therefor on the under face of the board, and means for retaining the hooklike parts in adjusted position, comprising a series of keepers on the bottom of the board, and latching means carried by the shank portions and operable from beneath the board adapted to cooperate With said keepers, the latching means having an operating handle portion and a spring instrumentality for normally holding the handle portion in a flat or non-projecting position, the operating handle portion bridging the keeperengaging portions of the latching means.

6. An ironing board of the character described, having a hook-like part projected from one end thereof, means for adjusting the same including a shank portion and guide means therefor on the bottom of the board, and cushioning means secured on the bottom of the board alongside said guide means and having an offset portion underlying a part of the guiding means adapted to contact the edge of a drawer or the like.

7. An ironing board of the character described, having a pair of hook-like means, one located adjacent each edge of the board, projected beyond the inner end thereof and extended upwardly to occupy a position substantially within an area defined by the planes of the top and bottom faces of the board, said hook-like means having a face which is opposite to and in a plane generally parallel with the end of the board whereby to engage a support between the end wall of the board and said face of the hook-like means, said hook-like means also having elongated flat shank portions parallel with the bottom face of the ironing board, separate guiding means therefor on the bottom face of the board slidably embracing said shank portions, and means for locking the shank portions in said guiding means to fasten the hooklike members in adjusted positions.

8. An ironing board of the character described, having a pair of hook-like means, one located adjacent each edge of the board, projected beyond the inner end thereof and extended upwardly to occupy a position substantially within an area defined by the planes of the top and bottom faces of the board, said hook-like means having a face which is opposite to and in a plane generally parallel with the end of the board whereby to engage a support between the end wall of the board and said face of the hook-like means, said hooklike means also having elongated fiat shank portions parallel with the bottom face of the ironing board, separate guidin means therefor on the bottom face of the board slidably embracing said shank portions, a bar extending transversely of the board connected with the upwardly projected extensions of the pair of hook-like means to insure adjustment thereof together, and means for locking the shank portions in said guiding means to fasten the hook-like members in adjusted positions.

9. An ironing board of the character described, having hook-like means projected beyond the inner end thereof and extended upwardly to occupy a position substantially within an area defined c by the planes of the top and bottom faces of the board, said hook-like means having a face which is opposite to and in a plane generally parallel with the end of the board whereby to engage a support between the end wall of the board and said face of the hook-like means, said hook-like means having an elongated fiat shank portion parallel with the bottom face of the ironing board, and guiding and fastening instrumentalities therefor on said bottom face of the board.

ALPHA PERRY LANTZ.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 256,530 Adams Apr. 18, 1882 386,697 Farwell July 24, 1888 592,160 Moe Oct. 19, 1897 825,260 Baetz July 3, 1906 960,213 Williams May 31, 1910 1,227,640 Marquardt May 29, 1917 1,415,529 Cronenberger May 9, 1922 1,493 036 Hay May 6, 1924 1,564,668 Hageman Dec. 8, 1925 1,567,450 Morrison et a1 Dec. 29, 1925 1,634,294 McGowan July 5, 1927 1,775,769 King Sept. 16, 1930 1,796,569 Madsen Mar. 17, 1931 1,891 834 Pendleton Dec. 20, 1932 2,028,789 Lindquist Jan. 28, 1936 2,098 157 Nuremberg Nov. 2, 1937 2,279,254 Dvorak Nov. 7, 1939 2,324,247 Ullman July 13, 1943 

